Rumour Mill
by amber-chick
Summary: Early S4. The team was rather cruel to Tony right after Gibbs came back - but what if someone had heard about the Rota assignment? The rumours spread around the office like wildfire... how will everybody react? No pairings, just good old team bonding
1. Rumours

_I've been promising a new fic for awhile, so here it is! A little team bonding to offset all the Post-Aliyah fics. I'm not going to say how long I think this will be, because I always end up being wrong! Enjoy the first chapter - and please review!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any of the characters._

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"_Your own team. Rota, Spain." _

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Jenny Shepard leaned on the balcony, surveying the squadroom that housed so many of her federal agents. She often did this, when she had the time, looking at all the work these people did, sacrificing so much to serve and protect their country and their people.

However, this time her focus was fully on one area – that of her top Major Crimes Response Team. In past times, she would have gotten a smile on her face from watching all the antics that went on down there, watching the team that was really so much like a family.

But over the last several months, things had changed. First Gibbs had left, completely changing the whole dynamic of the team. All of a sudden, the 'big brother' became the 'father', and it took everyone a while to get used to it. And then Gibbs had returned, again shifting the dynamic.

But now things had changed, and the team hadn't really returned to the dynamic they had once had. And it seemed that Tony bared the worst brunt of it. It seemed like the rest of his team couldn't stop teasing him about his 'demotion', but, unlike the friendly teasing that usually permeated the bullpen, some of these exchanges were beginning to border on malicious.

She had no idea why Gibbs, despite his incredible instincts, couldn't see what all this was doing to the senior field agent, when she found it so obvious from observing from afar.

She couldn't help but wonder if Tony regretted not taking the Rota position when it had been offered. She guessed that he did miss having the chance to be somewhere where his skills would be acknowledged rather then just being passed over because he liked to enjoy life, and his job.

Jenny was frowning as she watched the current conversation in the bullpen, knowing from the way Tony's shoulders were tense that they were, again, attacking his performance as a team leader.

She couldn't help but wonder what they would have done if Tony had taken the Rota position. Knowing that age old adage, 'You never know what you've got until it's gone.' She wished that Tony had at the very least told them about the promotion, so they would know how close he had come to leaving, but he had insisted on keeping it a secret.

She pushed herself off the balcony and walked briskly back to her office. She had told Tony that she wouldn't tell anybody, and she had no intention of breaking said promise. But, they did work at a federal investigative agency after all, and eavesdropping and scuttlebutt flew around like wild fire…

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Special Agent Justin Cameron yawned as he bounded up the steps to the Directors office. She had asked him to come in slightly earlier to discuss the latest undercover op his team was running.

He smiled at Cynthia in greeting, receiving one in return as she said, "You can go on in, she's just finishing off something, but she'll only be a few seconds."

"Thanks, Cynthia," Cameron responded easily, opening the door to the Directors office and closing it behind him. He waited at the door for her to acknowledge him when he realized she was on the phone. He did try not to listen, but it was what he was trained to do, and when he realized what she was talking about, he couldn't resist.

"Yes, well, the Rota position is desirable," Jenny said into her phone, laughing at something the other person had said. "Yes, I'm sure Special Agent DiNozzo would appreciate that. You've met him, haven't you?"

She paused for several long seconds before laughing again, "You're right, of course. Anyway, I'll have to call you back later. Alright, bye." She turned to Cameron, who was trying not to stare in surprise or to even make it noticeable that he'd been listening in on her conversation.

He greeted her and walked over to the chair, sitting in front of her desk. However, he went through the whole conversation on autopilot, thinking about what he had just heard.

The situation with Agent Gibbs' team had been a major source of scuttlebutt over the past several months. First, right after Gibbs had 'retired'. That one had fueled a lot of rumours, from him finally pissing off the wrong person and being fired, to him being the target of an assassin and having to go into hiding to him getting married and wanting several months of uninterrupted alone time.

Of course, with Gibbs gone, all eyes were on the top Major Crimes team in the agency, wondering what was going to happen to it. There were mixed reactions when it was discovered that Gibbs had left Agent DiNozzo in charge. Some thought it was a good decision, others thought the ex-cop wouldn't be able to handle it.

Cameron could still remember when Gibbs had first hired the pretty boy ex-cop. Bets had abound about how long the rich ex-cop would be able to last under no-nonsense, tough as nails, former marine Gibbs. Most of them thought he wouldn't last a week.

After a fortnight, they were seriously surprised. After two months, a grudging respect for the ex-cop started to surface. After a year, a promotion to senior field agent status and several weeks of working with Gibbs alone, jealousy and awe began to surround the young agent.

When DiNozzo had been promoted to supervisory special agent, both emotions had been heightened. However, most people had agreed that he deserved the position, particularly after seeing the success Tony had in managing to keep their teams case closure the highest in the agency.

But then Gibbs had returned, and the team had reverted to their previous positions. This time, awe felt for DiNozzo had faded and the jealousy had turned into scorn. Most people felt that Gibbs had returned because DiNozzo couldn't cut it as team leader. The last four months had been virtually forgotten as people compared notes about how many times DiNozzo had screwed up and what might have gone down for Gibbs to come back from his retirement.

But now, it seemed like there was a whole other part of the story that nobody knew about.

"Thank you for your time, Agent Cameron," Jenny interrupted his thought process, hiding a smile at how easily her ruse had worked. "Oh, could you please tell Agent DiNozzo that I need to talk to him, when you return to your desk?"

"Of course," Cameron replied immediately, shaking her hand and walking out the door. Cynthia wasn't there, so he just walked straight out, bounding down the steps and stopping at the bottom to pass on the message to DiNozzo, who was working quietly at filling out some forms. "Hey, DiNozzo, Director wants to see you."

The dark head looked up, giving Cameron a surprise at how different the kid looked. He looked tired, and stressed, the exact opposite of how he usually looked.

Cameron walked past and turned into his own area, getting joined by his own senior field agent; Mick Johnson.

"Why does the director want to see Tony?" Mick asked him, looking slightly worried. With only three major crimes response teams operating from the Navy Yard, the senior field agents were quite close and tended to go out for drinks and exchange advice for dealing with team leaders and probies. Mick and Adam, the other senior field agent, were two of the few people that continued to defend Tony and try to stop him from having to deal with some of the more vicious scuttlebutt.

Cameron hesitated a moment, but then relented and said to him quietly, "heard something about the Rota position."

"Rota?" Flora piped up from her desk, as the two senior agents walked into their area. "We know whos up for that? I've been dying to know for ages, it's one of the most desirable positions in the agency. Heck of a lot of people are vying for it."

"You think it's been offered to DiNozzo?" Mick exclaimed, brightening slightly. "That would explain why Agent Gibbs is back, they'd need someone to lead the team when Tony leaves for Rota."

"Lucky bastard," Flora sighed, leaning back in her chair. "I'd love to work in Rota. What do you think his team will be like?"

"Who's working in Rota, now?" Agent Balboa asked curiously, leaning over the partition that separated their two bullpens.

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By morning, the scuttlebutt was on fire and had spread throughout the majority of the agency.

When Abby walked in the next morning, everyone seemed to be talking about something, and she wondered what scandal had occurred now. She usually loved to listen to scuttlebutt and take parts in the 'underground' bets, but since Gibbs had left, she'd been avoiding it, knowing what she'd likely be hearing.

She hit the button for the elevator, trying to tune out what everyone was saying. However, by the time she got in, her curiosity got the better of her. The gossip hadn't been this strong since Gibbs had left, and she wondered what kind of news was able to cause that kind of a furor again. She edged closer to the two agents at the front of the elevator, trying to hear what they were saying.

"…going to be running the whole operations up there," one was saying, who Abby vaguely recognized as being from the legal department.

"Wouldn't surprise me, after all, Gibbs left him in charge of his team," the other responded. At this, Abby immediately started paying more attention. What were they saying about Tony?

"Well, apparently, the Director asked him to do that so she could see what he'd be like as a team leader before she offered him the Rota position," the first responded, continuing to talk as he and his friend left the elevator, leaving Abby behind in shock.

_Tony in Rota?_

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_I hope you enjoyed that opener, let me know what you thought of it, or what you think will happen... (For the record, this is post Faking It, so Tony did turn down the Rota assignment, in case there was any confusion)._


	2. Discovery

_I am sorry for the long wait, but I have just had the absolutely worst 3 weeks. Found out about a whole myriad of health problems, and a whole bunch of other stuff going on with work… Urgh. It was hard to find the time to write, but I did it. :)_

_I really do hope you enjoy, and make sure to tell me what you thought!_

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"_Teams do not have secrets." _

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Abby was staring bleakly at the computer screen in front of her, squeezing Bert the Hippo to her chest, her thoughts in a whirlwind. Tony couldn't leave. He was always there for her, whenever she wanted to vent about a guy or even when she called him at three o'clock in the morning asking for a ride home from a crazy party. After six years, she couldn't imagine not having Tony around.

She sniffed as she grabbed her computer mouse, bringing up some photos of her and Tony together, from way back, even before Kate had joined the team. She smiled at the close-up shot of the two of them, out clubbing together. Abby wracked her brain trying to remember when the last time they'd gone out, but the latest that she could remember had been well over a year ago.

She squeezed Bert unhappily, not even cracking a smile when the hippo farted. Had she and Tony really drifted apart? Enough that he wouldn't tell her that he was going to be leaving NCIS?

"Uh, Abby?" Special Agent Adam Dobson asked cautiously, waving a hand in front of her face, getting slightly worried by the fact that she hadn't answered the previous two times he'd called her name. Normally, that wasn't too much of a surprise with Abby's lab, but on this particular occasion there was no music playing, and that was strange in and of itself.

Abby turned around quickly, finally wrenched from her thoughts. "Hi, Adam," she said, not even trying to act cheerful as she put Bert down in front of her and clicked a few buttons to enlarge the photo so it covered the whole screen.

"Hi," the senior field agent replied, looking somewhat disturbed by this very different personality he was encountering. He didn't deal with Abby on a regular basis, since unlike Gibbs' team, his team hadn't commandeered their own personal forensic scientist, and so they switched between a few of them. Although they rarely used her, his favourite by far was Abby, since her vibrancy and eclectic tastes was a nice refresher from the tedium of the day to day work in a federal office.

"Uh, did you check those DNA results?" Adam asked her, trying to not to let his discomfort with this despondent Abby show in his voice.

"Oh, right, yeah, I'll just print off that report for you," Abby replied, already moving toward her office next to the lab.

Before following her, Adam gazed around at the desk in front of him, his gaze falling onto the computer. When he noticed the prominently displayed picture, his eyes widened slightly in realization.

"So, you found out about the Rota assignment," he said with sympathy as he followed her into the office. He knew how close Abby and Tony were, and he guessed that she must have taken it hard when Tony told her he was going to be leaving. At least she could be happy that he was leaving for a promotion and not because of an injury or something. Adam shuddered in the remembrance of when Tony had had the plague; although he hadn't seen Tony until after he'd left the hospital, the ex-cop had still looked bad enough that there had been a lot of speculation on whether or not he would be able to return to active duty again.

Abby clicked on the mouse button unnecessarily hard as she went to print off the report, glaring at the computer screen as if it were its fault that everyone else seemed to know about Tony's imminent departure before she did.

She grabbed the paper right as they came out of the printer, thrusting them at Agent Dobson without a word. The field agent took them carefully, and said carefully, "You know, it will be good for him. Get away from all the stress here. Not to mention everything else that's been going on…" He trailed off as Abby turned around, glaring at him with her arms crossed.

Deciding that it would probably be a better idea to just leave her alone, he quietly said goodbye to her and backed away slowly, making a mental note to tell someone to bring the gothic scientist a Caf-Pow.

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"…so he said he should have delivered before the end of next week," Ziva was saying to McGee as the two of them walked into the bullpen with their black backpacks slung over their shoulders, looking rested after getting the weekend off. "Morning, Gibbs," she greeted the older agent, getting a nod in return.

"Morning, Boss," McGee said, smiling at the man whom they had all missed over the last four months, three days, and fourteen hours that he had been taking a break in Mexico.

McGee sat down at his desk and turned on his computer, turning to take a look through his inbox as the machine booted up. After a few minutes, he realized that he hadn't yet heard the customary 'Probie! How was your night?'

Ignoring the twinge of guilt he felt at the reminder of the somewhat harsh words he'd said to DiNozzo on the subject of the nickname, the junior agent turned to the desk he'd recently vacated, curiosity piqued when he found it devoid of the senior agent, and looking as though nobody had yet used it today. Despite his and Ziva's teasing, Tony was actually very rarely late, and it wasn't all that often that the two of them got to the office before Tony, particularly over the last four months.

"Where's Tony?" he asked, directing the question at his boss, even as he looked around the squadroom as though he expected the older agent to just appear out of thin air.

"Probably flirting with that new agent down in Human Resources," Ziva laughed, already looking through her email, deleting most of them without bothering to read them. "It seems that gossip is at an all time high; that is probably what they are talking about."

"He's at the dentist," Gibbs informed sharply, his tone making both the agents duck their heads and turn back to their work. The former marine frowned, thinking about the message Tony had left on his phone that he wouldn't be able to make it in today because of a dental appointment. While his memory still wasn't perfect, one thing he did remember was that unless he was well and truly sick enough to require hospitalization, the ex-cop never missed work because of any health issues, even check-ups. Like Gibbs, any appointments that were strictly necessary, he made sure to make outside of work hours. The fact that all of a sudden Tony had taken the whole day off just because of a dentist appointment slightly worried the former marine.

Gibbs signed his signature on the papers in front of him, distractedly skimming over the forms filled out in the messy scrawl of his senior field agent. Tony must have come in over the weekend to do some paperwork so he wouldn't get behind by taking a day off. If Gibbs was remembering correctly, then it certainly wasn't the first time, but this time he had given his team the weekend off for a reason. They had all been working hard over the last few cases, and they also had the added stress of trying to get used to being back in their old positions.

The newly reinstated lead agent had tried to just eliminate the awkward transition period altogether by putting all his agents back to their original desks, and trying to pretend that it had never happened, but judging by the fact that both DiNozzo and Ducky were refusing to say a word to him unless it was absolutely necessary meant that that plan had backfired.

The vicious sniping also seemed to be another side effect of everyone's return to the old status quo. It hadn't escaped his notice that Tony wasn't having an easy time of things, and he frowned at the thought. He had hoped that his team was close enough, and supportive enough, that they would help each other through the backlash of what the rest of the agency would likely see as the demotion of two agents.

While he remembered the teasing banter that his agents liked to indulge in, the last thing he had expected was for Ziva and McGee to hit DiNozzo with more vicious barbs, rather then trying to protect him from similar gossip from other agents. He was grateful that at the very least, the other two senior field agents, Mick and Adam, had done their best to shield Tony from the worst of the gossip.

It was also why he had been so grateful to hear the speculation being passed around the agency, and the money changing hands to be put in the official underground betting pool. He didn't know what the gossip was, and he didn't particularly care, so long as people stopped causing stress lines to appear on the formerly carefree face of his senior field agent.

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Things had been quiet over the last hour, all of them working on separate things. Gibbs was still trying to catch up on all the minor policy changes that had occurred over the last couple of months – it seemed like Jenny was determined to at least slightly change every policy while she was the Director. Ziva seemed to be working on something for Mossad, if the Hebrew characters on her computer screen were any indication, while McGee was trying to put a dent in the sizeable stack of paperwork left on his desk.

Although none of them voiced it, all three of them were missing the lightheartedness that Tony always brought to the office. There was nothing worse then being stuck deskbound and doing paperwork, but Tony always seemed to be able to make it bearable, and although she often complained, Ziva had to admit that it did make time fly far faster.

However, the dull atmosphere of the bullpen was soon broken when Abby stalked into their area, holding tightly onto an extra-large Caf-Pow in one hand, and clutching Bert the hippo with the other. The three NCIS agents all looked at her, glad of the distraction, but also wondering what had brought her up to the squadroom, particularly considering that they didn't have a case.

"Where's Tony?" Abby demanded, moving towards the desk, and sitting down on the chair. She put Bert down on her lap, and the Caf-Pow on the desk, as she started to look through everything on the desk, checking to make sure that Tony's personal effects were all still there.

Looking at her strangely, wondering why in the world she was looking through Tony's belonging, McGee answered her, "He's at the dentist, Abs."

"The dentist? What do you mean he's at the dentist?" Abby demanded, narrowing her eyes and glaring at all of them. "Why isn't he here?"

"Because he needed to get his teeth checked," McGee responded, trailing off uncertainly, wondering what had triggered this bout of bizarre behaviour.

"Something wrong, Abs?" Gibbs asked, feeling slightly disconcerted that for once, he really didn't know why Abby was so mad, and also because she was mad at him. That was rare. He didn't think that Abby had ever glared at him, not even that time that she had thought that he had forgotten her birthday. He picked up his nearly empty coffee cup, and drank the remaining liquid. He had a feeling he was going to need it.

"Wrong? There's nothing wrong," Abby ranted, her temper fraying, "why in the world would there be anything wrong with the fact that Tony is _leaving, _and nobody even bothered to tell me!"

Gibbs choked on his coffee as Abby slumped back into the chair, now looking more depressed rather then angry. What the hell did she mean, Tony was leaving?

"Abby, Tony is not leaving," Ziva said, feeling shocked at Abbys rant, and wondering who had put that idea in her head. "He is simply at the dentist."

"Yeah. At the dentist, probably thinking about when he was offered the Rota position," Abby said, squeezing Bert tightly and making him fart.

Gibbs looked at her sharply. This wasn't a joke. He could always tell when Abby was joking, and right now she was deadly serious. And Gibbs knew that the Rota position had recently become available. It was a very popular and highly sought after position, and he had found himself thinking that Tony probably would have enjoyed it. But he never would have thought that Tony would have actually gotten the offer.

"Rota? Abby, Tony wouldn't get Rota," McGee stated, and though he sounded slightly derisive, he actually found himself feeling a little uncertain. Surely, if Tony had gotten such a good promotion, wouldn't he have been boasting about it the moment that he had found out? Surely, he wouldn't have just kept it a secret, from his team and his closest friends?

Abby found her temper rearing up again at McGee's harsh words. "Well, he did get Rota McGee, and apparently he didn't want to tell anyone that he was leaving," she snapped, and though she was answering McGee's words, she was glaring at all three of them.

She left a shocked silence behind her as she stalked out of the bullpen.

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_Hope you enjoyed. The next chapter should be up much sooner. Please don't forget to leave me a review! :)_


	3. Misunderstandings

_Well, it's been awhile, huh? I am so terribly sorry about the long wait, it has been very hectic. Although, for once, I actually have good news to give! After a myriad of tests, it has finally been concluded that the surgery I had last year was a success, which means that I no longer have to worry about that part of my health for a good, long while. And I got the highest overall academic marks for my year, so things are slowly looking up._

_But enough of my rambling. Read, enjoy the longer chapter, and let me know what you thought!_

* * *

"_Well, according to the scuttlebutt…" _

* * *

Tony bound up the steps to the NCIS building, cursing in his head. Jeanne had wanted to meet up for coffee this morning, which meant that he was now nearly forty-five minutes late for work. Gibbs was going to kill him.

As the senior field agent hurried over to the front desk to sign in, he also bitterly thought about how many more rumours this would fuel about his so-called incompetency.

"Hey Jack," he greeted quickly, scrawling his name, ID number, and arrival time into the book.

"Hey, Tony," Jack replied with an easy smile. As Tony rushed through to get to the stairwell, not wanting to bother waiting for the elevator, he also called out, "Hey, and congrats, man!"

Tony paused in front of the door to the stairwell, one hand stretched out in front of him, ready to open it. He looked back at the older, slightly balding security guard, completely confused as to where the out-of the blue statement came from. However, catching sight of the clock and realizing that he would soon be nearly an hour late, he decided to just ignore it, and opened the door, taking the steps two at a time.

But as he cut across one of the floors in order to get onto the right side of the building that the MCRT offices were, his confusion was heightened as agents called out, "Good job, DiNozzo," or "Not bad, Tony, not bad at all!" and a few friendly, "About damn time, hey, man?" to boot.

Tony had been expecting derogatory whispers as he walked by. Those, he had gotten used to. They had been very prevalent over the last couple of months, especially when Gibbs had returned and shunted him back down to senior field. He most certainly hadn't expected to be on the receiving end of awed, friendly, and envious looks from half of the damn agency. Especially considering that he couldn't think of a single thing that could warrant the sudden shift in attitude.

Finally getting out on the right floor, he walked to their bullpen, trying to put everyones behaviour out of his mind and bracing himself for the dressing down he was likely going to get for being nearly an hour late for work.

"Sorry, boss," he called out, throwing his bag behind his desk, not even noticing as it knocked over and then fell on top of his favourite Mighty Mouse stapler, and looking over towards Gibbs' desk. "I, uh… had some stuff to take care of… it won't happen again," he swore, determinedly looking only at Gibbs, knowing that Ziva and McGee were probably snickering about his screw up. He opened his mouth again, trying to come up with a better excuse, when he registered the look on Gibbs' face. He looked slightly… worried? That couldn't be right… Gibbs never got worried, not unless one of them was in mortal danger.

"What were you taking care of," Ziva asked before Gibbs even had the chance to open his mouth. Tony turned to her, hiding his slight surprise. None of them ever interrupted Gibbs when they knew he was going to give a dressing down. It was like an addendum to rule number 23 – "Never, ever bother Gibbs in interrogation (or when he's just yelling at somebody)."

Ziva was leaning forward on her desk, seemingly unaware that she had just broken one of the major unwritten rules of Team Gibbs. Her eyes were narrowed, looking at Tony calculatingly, as though she were searching for something. For what, Tony had no idea.

"Just stuff," Tony responded vaguely, wishing that he had managed to come up with a better excuse while he had been driving here. Although, to be fair, considering the number of road rules that he had been breaking in his attempt to get here faster, it was no surprise that he had been unable to keep his mind on anything except the road in front of him.

"Stuff," Gibbs repeated, making Tony turn towards him, bracing himself for the glare that was bound to be trained on him. He blinked in surprise when he realized that there was no glare. In fact, Gibbs didn't look angry at all. He was looking at Tony as though searching for something. He also looked tense, but not as if he were about to lose his temper. Tony had had enough experience with that look to be able to recognize it without a problem. This look, on the other hand, he didn't recognize at all.

Thinking about everything that had happened since he'd stepped into the building, from all the random compliments, to Gibbs not being mad at him, and Ziva (and even McGee, he noted with a quick glance) looking at him strangely, Tony was seriously starting to wonder whether he'd stepped into some alternate reality.

"Yeah…" Tony answered his boss weakly, still trying to work out what the hell was going on.

"That's all you have to say?" Gibbs asked, eyes narrowing as he stared at his senior field agent.

"…Yes," Tony stated uncertainly, hesitating a moment, trying frantically to work out what Gibbs wanted him to say.

"Agent DiNozzo, perfect timing," Director Shepherd called out, making everyone in their bullpen turn around to where she was standing on the steps leading up to MTAC and her office. The rest of the agents on the floor were also attempting to discreetly listen in, making Gibbs scowl when he noticed it. He hated gossip. He especially hated gossip when it was about one of his people, and about something that he had no clue about.

"Can I have a quick word with you, please?" Shepherd requested, hiding her smile at everyones reactions to her request to talk to Tony, who, incidentally, was looking horribly confused as to what was going on.

"Uh, I need to…" Tony said feebly, trying to find an excuse to put off his briefing with the Director until such a time that Gibbs wasn't furious with him for being late. Even if Gibbs was being unusually understanding, and wasn't yelling at him in front of the whole bullpen, Tony was under no illusions that Gibbs was definitely mad at him. He had to fight down the urge to just tell him that disappearing for one hour was a heck of a lot better then disappearing for four months, but knew that that would be asking for some kind of public humiliation, and he really didn't feel like he could take any more of that.

"I'm sure Agent Gibbs can spare you for a few minutes," the director interrupted him, turning around to head back up the stairs, motioning for him to follow her. She studiously avoided looking at Gibbs, who was scowling at her fiercely, probably thinking that she was going to take another step in transferring his senior agent away from Washington.

"Right," Tony muttered, throwing an awkward glance at his team before following the Director up the steps. "I'll be right back," he threw over his shoulder, wincing when he caught the look on Gibbs face, knowing that he was definitely going to be chewed out when he returned. He had been hoping to finish putting his desk back together today, too, since he still hadn't managed to put everything back to its rightful place with all the switching of desks that had occurred. But it looked like he wouldn't have the chance, today.

There was silence in their bullpen for several minutes after Tony disappeared into the Directors office. The rest of the office had already diverted their attention from the area after Tony and Director Shepherd had left, though many of them were talking together in hushed whispers.

Gibbs was staring at the spot where his senior field agent had been standing. Tony had winced when he had looked over at Gibbs. The ex-cop obviously hadn't been happy that Gibbs had observed the Director asking Tony for a meeting, which proved that Tony really was actively trying to hide the fact that he was leaving from the team. He knew he was still scowling, but he was so mad at himself for letting the situation with his second in command, his protégé, deteriorate to the extent that Tony didn't share such a major decision with him.

The silence in the bullpen was finally broken by McGee, who said uncertainly, "You don't think-"

"Think what, McGee," Ziva interrupted angrily, gripping her computer mouse tightly enough that her fingers were beginning to turn white, "That Tony was probably late because he was clearing out his apartment, and he still does not even want to tell us that he is leaving!" She clicked at her keyboard viciously, as though trying to take out her hurt and anger on the inanimate object.

"At least he hasn't cleared out his desk," McGee offered weakly, as though trying to find proof that Tony would never leave without giving them ample warning beforehand. He pushed off from his desk, rolling his chair over to the desk that had been his for four months, as though wanting to prove his statement.

But as he looked at the belongings strewn across the desk, he felt his heart go cold as he realized that there were definitely not as many objects as there usually were on the desk.

"What," Ziva asked sharply when she noticed McGee pale slightly. Hearing her tone, Gibbs also looked over from where he had been staring at his computer screen and brooding.

"There is some stuff missing," McGee admitted, looking almost defeated. "Like his Mighty Mouse stapler, some of his knick-knacks… his coffee cup and letter opener are both still here, though," the junior agent added, as though determined to find something to tie the senior agent to the desk that had belonged to him for so long.

"Coffee," Gibbs grunted suddenly, sparing one more glance at the photograph he had been staring at, which had been snapped when Abby had dragged him, Ducky and Tony to the fair. They had had fun then, no strained tension, no secrets… just enjoyment. He exited the program as he stood swiftly, grabbing his gun from his drawer and then slamming it shut as he strode to the elevator.

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Clutching his extra-large, extra-strong cup of hot, black coffee, Gibbs strode into autopsy, bypassing Palmer and Agent Lee, who were going into another room to take care of some paperwork, judging by the files held by Lee.

"Did you know?" he barked as he entered the main area.

"Ah, Special Agent Gibbs," Ducky greeted formally, and slightly tensely, "did I know what, exactly?"

"About Tony, Ducky," Gibbs snapped, ignoring the iciness in the ME's demeanour, and addressing him by his nickname for the first time since returning from Mexico.

"Ah," Ducky said in realization, pausing in the act of removing his bloody gloves for a moment as he tried to work out what to say. Deciding to set aside his anger at the lead agent for the moment, he stated, "I had heard some of the rumours that are floating around. I'm guessing from your reaction that Tony really will be leaving us?"

"You don't sound all that surprised," Gibbs answered him, sounding slightly suspicious. He knew how much support the elderly ME could give, and had suspected that Tony had gone to him for advice during the time that he had been team leader. With that idea, it wasn't too much of a leap to think that Tony had consulted Ducky when first being offered the Rota position. Ignoring the stab of hurt he felt when he thought about Tony – the man that he had treated as his protégé – going to Ducky and not him for advice, Gibbs focused on Ducky's answer.

Feeling a stab of annoyance at his friends constant stubbornness, Ducky answered somewhat sharply and pointedly, "Well, considering what a brilliant job he did at being the team leader of a Major Crimes Response Team, it does not come as much of a surprise that he received another, permanent position when it suddenly turned out that the other was merely temporary. Of course, the deplorable way in which it was made clear that the position was temporary could have also been a factor in his decision."

Gibbs couldn't help but flinch at the harsh but truthful words spoken by the ME. Watching Ducky head across the room to wash his hands, it really hit home how much he was to blame for his current predicament. His memory may not have completely returned, but he remembered virtually everything about his team. He had known that Tony and McGee would both get slightly hurt and insecure with returning to their previous positions, and had vowed to try and lessen the impact as much as possible.

It had seemed that the praise and attention he had given McGee had worked on the junior agent, but when he had attempted to do the same to Tony, it had almost been brushed off. Even then, he hadn't realized the extent of the damage he had caused. He had simply assumed that after four months of leading the team, Tony's confidence had built up enough that he no longer craved praise as he used to.

He'd been a short-sighted idiot, and he was paying dearly for it now.

He wanted to ask Ducky if he thought that there was a chance that Tony could be talked out of it, but he had to admit that he was afraid of the answer. Besides, however grudgingly, he did have to admit that Tony was ready for a promotion. He just hadn't expected to completely lose him at the same time. In the rare times he'd imagined it, he'd thought of Tony coming down to his basement, sitting on the bottom step and bitching about his team or asking his advice on a difficult case. He'd expected to still be able to act as the mentor to the former cop that had somehow, improbably, wormed his way into his life and heart all those years ago in Baltimore.

He shook his head and sighed as he headed out the doors, calling back tersely, "I'm taking the day off."

-----------------

Finished with debriefing the director about his progress with Jeanne, Tony walked down the steps as slowly as he dared, dreading the comments he was probably going to get from his fellow team members. Not to mention the fact that Gibbs still hadn't said anything about being so late…

Walking into the bullpen, Tony unconsciously straightened up, steeling himself for the confrontation, only to look around in confusion when he realized that Gibbs wasn't even at his desk. He sat down at his own desk cautiously, still looking around, thinking that maybe Gibbs would pop up out of nowhere as he was wont to do quite often.

Turning to Ziva and McGee, unnerved by their furtive glances and lack of comments, he opened his mouth to ask where Gibbs was, but was given the answer by McGee before he could even voice the question.

"Gibbs took the day off and went home," McGee told him, setting aside his pen and turning to face Tony, looking like he was arguing with himself over whether to say more or not.

"He took the day?" Tony responded sharply, immediately feeling worried as he continued, "Is he sick, or something?"

"He is fine," Ziva answered him, throwing him an exasperated look, as if he should know why Gibbs decided to take the day off.

Feeling worried that maybe Gibbs was still feeling some of the effects of his coma (it could explain his strange behaviour earlier), Tony got up again and headed over to the elevator, calling out behind him, "Going to see Abby," hoping that maybe she had some more information about what was going on.

Getting into the elevator, he gave a genuine smile to one of his fellow MCRT senior field agents, Mick. "Hey, man," he greeted, hitting the button for the lab as the doors closed.

"Hey, Tony," Mick said, returning the greeting and scrutinizing the other agent. Tony still looked stressed and overworked, but it didn't seem quite as bad as it had been.

Despite the fact that he knew that he would miss the ex-cops company and insight, he was glad that Tony was going to be moving. Tony didn't deserve to be the constant source of cruel gossip, and not to mention the way that his fellow team members treated him.

Mick didn't care how many times Tony called them 'a sign of affection', those headslaps Agent Gibbs constantly gave out seemed like abuse to him. And then there were also the verbal putdowns that he could sometimes hear as he crossed the squadroom, or that Tony admitted to being hurt by after a couple of drinks.

If it weren't for the fact that he could see the worry in Gibbs any time that Tony was in danger, and that Tony had been incredibly vehement the one time he had voiced his idea, Mick would probably have reported Gibbs to IA long before now.

"Hey, listen, Adam and I were just saying that we have to take you out for a couple of drinks to celebrate," Mick said to Tony, shifting to face the other agent. Actually, going from an idea that Flora had given them, they were considering throwing him a surprise going away party. They thought it would be a way to show Tony that he had been appreciated here, and that they would be sorry to lose him.

"Hey, Mick?" Tony asked, again trying to work out what he had done that was apparently such a cause for celebration.

"Yeah?" Mick responded, slightly surprised at Tony's reaction. Or rather, lack of reaction when reminded of his promotion.

"What, exactly, are we supposed to be celebrating?"

----------------

_So… what did you all think? Please, drop me a review and let me know! Oh, and this time, I really do promise that the update will be quicker. :)_


	4. Confrontation

_I should have knocked on wood after the last chapter... I bring you this chapter from my new laptop that I had to order when my own suddenly crashed right before Christmas. Do you know how long it takes for a new laptop to be delivered when you have to order it right before Christmas???_

_Also, have to add... Flesh and Blood was the most incredible episode *ever*. No contest. It brought my muse rushing back..._

_And lastly, my eternal thanks to those that reviewed! :) Let me know what you thought about this one too._

_--------------_

"_So you came to me for advice?"_

_-------------------_

Tony could feel his annoyance rising steadily as he bounded up the stairs to the Directors office. Now that he knew what was going on, he was also consciously aware of all the staring and the whispers that were permeating the bullpen. He studiously avoided looking towards the area where his teammates were; not wanting to see the expressions on their faces.

Damn the Director. He had asked her to keep the Rota assignment between them for a reason, and he thought she respected him enough to go along with that decision. But apparently, she simply wanted to cause problems.

Although, why would Jenny spread the news about the promotion offer _after _Tony had already turned it down?

_Maybe to make sure you'll be completely humiliated, _a bitter voice in his head spoke up, making him wince as the full ramifications of this... this rumour hit him. From what little Mick had been able to tell him, it was apparent that the majority of the agency believed that he would soon be leaving Washington to take up the mantle of Supervisory Special Agent in Rota, Spain.

At least Tony now finally had an explanation for all the congratulations that had been coming his way all day, but he felt no satisfaction in that discovery. He had already turned down the promotion; what would people say when they realized he was staying in DC? Would the vicious rumours start up again, bringing with them the thinly veiled barbs about his work ethics and general competency? Tony didn't know if he would be able to handle that all over again. Things had just started to die down before this had happened.

And what would McGee and Ziva say? Not to mention Gibbs. Judging by their actions over the last few days, all of them obviously felt that he was undeserving of his own team. He didn't dare wonder what their reactions had been when the rumours had reached them, although it did explain the strange behaviour from this morning.

But even if Tony was able to handle the backlash from the agency that these rumours would surely cause, he didn't know if he would be able to handle the increase in the verbal onslaughts from those he called friends that would no doubt occur.

Heck, McGee had been quite vicious with his opinions of Tony's leadership skills already, and that had been before this extra ammunition he had received, courtesy of Director Shepherd.

As he reached the Directors office, Tony tried to get his anger under control. Nodding curtly to Cynthia in greeting, Tony didn't bother to wait for permission to enter the Directors 'inner sanctum', not even noticing that his actions made Cynthia shake her head fondly, thinking about the countless times that Gibbs had done that exact same thing.

"What the hell were you thinking," Tony hissed angrily the moment the door slammed shut behind. Tony couldn't help but feel a petty sense of satisfaction at both the loud bang that the door made, and at the surprise etched on the Directors face when she looked up.

"Tony?" she asked curiously, gesturing to the chair in front of her in a clear offer to sit. "What are you – "

"Oh, don't even _try _and pull that one on me, Jenny," Tony scoffed angrily, narrowing his eyes in a glare as he stood in front of her desk, refusing to sit down. "You know _exactly _why I'm here. At the very least, I'm sure you would have heard the rumours by now."

"Ah," Jenny responded in realization, putting her pen down and focusing all her attention on the furious agent in front of her. She supposed she should have realized what this was about the moment Tony stormed in, but she had expected Tony to have worked out what she had done after one of his teammates confronted him, and therefore should have had some time to cool off before he came to confront her. Obviously, Tony had found out from another source.

"'Ah?' Is that all you have to say?" Tony asked, disbelievingly, running his hand through his hair. "Do you have any idea what it's going to be like for me after they find out that I haven't been promoted?"

"That you turned down the promotion," Jenny corrected. "There's a massive difference."

Tony snorted and said bitterly, "Not to them there's not." He gestured towards the door, as though clarifying who 'them' were.

"There will be," Jenny said firmly. "But at the moment, they're preoccupied with the fact that you're not going to be around for much longer."

Tony's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion as he collapsed into the chair that Jenny had gestured to earlier. His eyebrows rose as the realization hit him.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," he said scathingly. "You wanted to make them realise what they're missing? Make them think about how 'important' I am to them?" His voice became more mocking as he continued the sentence, his mind supplying images of the countless movie and television plots that encompassed this very ideal.

"It's working," Jenny responded calmly, her quiet voice a stark contrast to Tony's harsh tone.

"Yeah, right," Tony snorted in disbelief. "They're probably all thrilled that they are finally going to get rid of me."

Jenny leaned forward to deliver her next words, keeping eye contact with Tony to make sure he understood her words clearly, "Then why are Ziva and McGee so desperate to find some hint that you aren't going to leave them? Why has Abby been so bad tempered all day? And why did Gibbs just up and leave in the middle of the day?"

Tony just stared at her, his mind blank of retorts for the first time since that night that Gibbs had placed his gun and badge into his hands.

* * *

It was nearly an hour after leaving the Directors office that Tony strode into autopsy, carrying an extra-large coffee cup filled with Jamaican Mocha. It was perhaps the first time since Gibbs' return that he had bought the coffee, despite the fact that he had become hooked on it since Jimmy introduced it to him during his first case as the team leader. However, he had wanted to avoid any similarities to Gibbs and so had avoided drinking any coffee, period.

However, what with everything that had happened today, Tony decided that he needed the hit that the caffeine would give him. The short walk to the coffee shop also allowed him some time to organise his thoughts; not to mention a way to keep avoiding his teammates.

He still didn't have a clue what he thought about Jenny's last words to him before he'd left her office. He had glanced towards their area of the squadroom when he walked out of the Director's area, and had seen that McGee and Ziva weren't even bothering to hide that they had been watching the office. He had wondered briefly whether they had tried to get Cynthia to eavesdrop for them, but knew that the secretary wouldn't do that to him. She enjoyed the flowers he sent her too much.

But, his cynical side still couldn't help but wonder whether their interest in his 'leaving' really meant that they didn't want to see him go. Maybe they just wanted confirmation that they were finally going to get rid of him.

The remembrance of the friendships they had forged over the last few years made him want to dismiss that thought, but his self esteem had taken such a severe hit over the last week or so that he couldn't help but think that it might be true.

Heck, none of their actions since Gibbs had returned pointed to them being pleased that Tony was still around. Tony knew that he was being quite childish; he, too, had missed Gibbs; but couldn't they have shown _any _appreciation about the last four months? He had worked damn hard to try and prove that he was a worthy replacement to the ex-marine, barely sleeping and generally only eating when one of the team ordered take-out, or on the rare occasion that Jimmy dragged him out to some restaurant.

Shaking his head as though to remind himself why he was here, Tony looked around the morgue looking for the man that had improbably become one of his friends over the last four months.

"Hey, Jimmy, come out here, I need to talk to you," he called out, eying the different storage rooms and wondering which one Jimmy might be in. He knew that Ducky was out on his lunch break, and he usually took the opportunity to check how his mother was doing. Jimmy usually stayed behind, taking his lunch break afterwards, so that there was always somebody in the morgue should something be needed. "I know you're in here, Palmer!"

"Uh, one second," Jimmy called back after a slight pause, his voice muffled by the thick doors of the store room.

Tony smirked, recognizing the slight breathlessness of Jimmy's voice. Taking a swig of coffee, he called out neutrally, "I want to talk to you in here, so tell Agent Lee to hurry up and get out."

Tony chuckled when there was no response, glad for the light hearted moment which took his mind off his dilemma, if only for a moment. He hoisted himself up to sit on one of the autopsy tables as he waited, drumming his fingers on the metal surface.

He gave a small finger wave at Michelle Lee as she edged out of the store room, face red, obviously trying to avoid eye contact with her former boss. She nodded in greeting and power walked out of autopsy, pausing only to grab the files she had dropped on Ducky's desk.

"So, uh, what did you need?" Jimmy asked, obviously trying to avoid talking about what had just happened.

Tony couldn't help but laugh at the medical students blush, but then turned thoughtful again as he asked, "Have you heard the rumours flying around about me?"

"It's difficult not to," Jimmy snorted, sounding highly relieved that they were going to ignore the fact that he had been in a storage room with Michelle Lee. "But I thought you turned down the Rota assignment?"

"I did," Tony agreed, "Jenny made it seem like I took it. And now people have gone nuts."

"They don't want to see you leave," Jimmy told him, not really knowing why Tony had come to talk to him about this. "Are you worried about what will happen when people realize you're not leaving?"

"No. Well, yes," Tony corrected himself before continuing, "But what I mean is, are they sorry to see me go, or are they glad they're going to see the back of me?"

Realization dawned on Jimmy that right now Tony didn't really care about the rest of the agency, but rather wanted to know what his own team was thinking. Jimmy knew that Tony had reason to think that way; the team hadn't exactly been kind to him lately. But he also knew that they all did appreciate Tony, and he had to admit he was glad that the news about Tony's promotion had gotten out, because it gave the team a much needed push to tell Tony that they needed him, and enjoyed his company.

"They are not thrilled to see you leaving," Jimmy replied firmly, trying to inject confidence into his voice. He had never been good at sounding convincing even when he was sure of himself, but he thought that this time he'd managed to do it. "From what I've seen, they look very unhappy. Agent Gibbs, in particular, seemed upset when he came down here."

"You really think so?" Tony asked quietly, staring into space and not focussing on anything. He and Gibbs had been quite close before the damn explosion, and the distance that the older man had been keeping since his return had hurt the ex-cop.

"Have you even talked to them?" Jimmy asked, knowing the answer.

"Well, no, but," Tony started, but before he could properly defend himself, Jimmy interrupted.

"No buts. Even if they have been pretty stupid the last couple of weeks, they're still your friends and you shouldn't just write them off. Besides, at the very least you should reassure them that you're not going to just up and leave like Agent Gibbs did." _And it will give them the chance to show you that they don't want you to leave, _Jimmy added to himself silently, knowing that the whole team was hoping for that exact opportunity.

"Yeah," Tony replied softly. "Maybe you're right." He still wasn't sure that they were really upset over the thought of him leaving, but Jimmy was right. They were still his friends. Besides, he wasn't Gibbs. And no matter what had happened over the last few weeks, he didn't want his team to ever think that he would just abandon them.

Tony hopped off the table, deciding to go up to Abby's lab. If anyone would miss him, it would be her. She might give him some idea of how wanted he really still was at NCIS. After that, he could work out how to talk to Ziva and McGee. And, of course, Gibbs. That would probably be the most difficult. Was he sure that the older marine really still wanted him around?

As though sensing his thoughts, Jimmy added, "I'm telling you, Tony, I have never seen Agent Gibbs as upset as he was when he came down here."

Nodding his thanks to Jimmy, Tony strode out autopsy, calling back over his shoulder, "By the way, you should tell Agent Lee that she left her bra behind."

-------------------

McGee looked through the wide array of objects that were in front of him, wondering what on earth he should get. Since they didn't have a case, McGee had taken advantage of the lack of work to go out to a store to try and find something for Tony. But what exactly did one get in order to apologize to a friend for being so ignorant of their feelings?

He also wouldn't mind trying to find something that would show Tony that he didn't want him to leave.

McGee sighed as he turned to peruse the next aisle, having to resist banging his head because of his stupidity.

He had known Tony for over three years. He knew Tony was a damn good investigator. He had been proud that Tony had made him his senior field agent, despite his lack of experience. And he felt like such a damn idiot for projecting his anger onto Tony for no reason at all.

* * *

Ever since he had been a child, Gibbs had loved working with his hands. For him, it was a way to get away from the real world; when he was working he thought about nothing but what he was shaping with his bare hands. It was why he never used power tools, they required much more concentration and didn't allow him to achieve that same peaceful mind space.

But today, even his favourite hobby wasn't helping him. His mind was filled with memories. Memories that four months he had been almost prepared to kill for, but today would do anything to forget.

Multiple images of Tony showing his unwavering loyalty to Gibbs were flashing through his head, serving to make him feel even guiltier. He cursed the damn explosion for starting all of this, but knew that things never would have escalated so much if he had handled things properly. If he hadn't screwed up so much with one of the few people left on this earth that he actually cared about.

He cursed out loud, wanting a release of anger that he knew he wouldn't get. He paused in his work for a moment, not willing to do anything that might damage this particular project. It was far too important to work out his anger on.

Thinking about the way he'd treated Tony, Gibbs knew he'd screwed up. But whoever had said that admitting your problem was the first step to a solution was an idiot; because Gibbs still didn't have a damn clue how to fix things.

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_So... what did you think? The hardest part by far was the talk with Palmer, so, please, let me know what you thought about it!_


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